Piano-action.



W. G. VOGEL.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN114. 1914.

Patented Dec. 15,1914.

Elli.

WILLIAM C. VOGEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed January 14-, 1914. Serial No. 811,998.

To aZZ "w/wm- 2'2. may concern Be it known that I, IVILLIAM C. VOGEL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPiano-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to upright piano actions, and especially to thatportion of the action which comprises the jack, hammer butt, jack wire,butt strap and a bridle strap, movement of the jack causing the jackwire to pull back upon the butt strap thereby holding the upper end ofthe jack against the outer face of the hammer butt knuckle causing thehammer head to remain in its proper position during depression of thekey.

The object of the invention is to simplify piano actions of this typeand to decrease cost by doing away with the usual backcheck and catcher,and with the bridle wire. The omission of this last mentioned partcauses a corresponding decrease in the length of the bridle strap.

The invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafterdescribed, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section through a portion of a piano action,parts being shown in normal position in full lines and being shown indotted lines in the position occupied after the key is depressed and thehammer head has rebounded from the string. Fig. 2 is the side view of ajack showing the modified construction of jack wire. Fig. 3 is a planview of a butt strap. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a bridle strap.

In the drawings 1 is the main piano action rail provided with upper andlower flanges 2 and 3, and to the upper flange 2 is pivoted a hammerbutt 1; this carries a hammer shank 5 which supports the usual hammerhead 5 which in turn rests against a hammer rest rail 5 The main actionrail also carries a rearwardly extending flange 6 to which is pivoted adamper lever 7, held in place by the usual restoring spring 8. A wippen9 is pivotally connected to the lower flange 3 and carries a spoon 10and is also pivotally connected to the usual eX- tension 11. The jack 14is pivotally connected to the wippen 9 and is held in constantengagement with the hammer butt at by a spring 13 which bears upon thelower end of the jack and also upon the whip. The jack 1% bears upon aknuckle 15 carried by the hammer butt 4. A jack wire 16 extends upwardlyand outwardly and its upper end is bent inwardly from the upper portionof the jack. A bridle strap 13 is secured to the upper forward face ofthe hammer butt l and engages the lower portion of the jack wire 16 at24. A butt strap 17 is also secured to the upper forward face of thehammer butt 4, preferably by the same means employed for securing thebridle strap 13, said butt strap 17 being engaged by the jack wire 16 atits upper portion, and normally having a slack portion as shown. Aregulating rail 18 is supported from the main action rail by a bracket19 provided with the usual regulating button 20. The usual verticalaction bracket 21 is also employed; upon depression of a piano key theextension 11 is lifted in the usual manner, thus throwing the parts intothe dotted position shown in Fig. 1, and the movement of the jack 14:which still remains in contact with the hammer butt 4, will cause thejack wire to pull back upon the strap 17, thus holding the hammer head 5in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In piano actions of the standard makes the key at the front end has atravel of threeeighths of an inch, the hammer is thrown forward when thekey is depressed from one-fourth to five-sixteenths of an inch. Thehammer strikes the string prior to the complete depression of the key,and this causes an opening of about one thirty-second of an inch to beformed between the upper inner face of the jack 11 and the butt knuckle15, which allows the upper end of the jack to slide out from underneathof the butt-knuckle at 15. The strap 17 is not stretched its full lengthwhen the hammer strikes the string as said strap does not assume theposition as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, until the heel 14 of the jacklat presses against the regulating button 20, thereby forcing the upperend of the jack to slide out from under the lower side of thebutt-knuckle 15; this last movement of the jack stretches the strap 17and takes place after the hammer has struck the string. In standardpiano actions the jack will slide out from beneath a butt-knuckle whenthe hammer has moved back and is from one to three eighths inch from thestring, the exact position of the hammer with relation to the string atthe time this movement of the jack takes place being regulated by theadjustment of the button 20.

It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the bridle strap 13 is longitudinallyslotted as shown at 13* thus allowing certain freedom of movement withreference to the jack wire, the lower portion of which passes throughsaid slot. By reason of this construction no bridle wire is necessary;this not only saves the use of these wires but also makes a great savingof material as it considerably shortens the bridle strap.

While in its preferred form the jack Wire 16 is formed with the bend 2a:in its lower portion 1 may use the form shown by the jack wire 16 ofFig. 2 in which the lower portion is slightly bent. The aclr wires 16and ltf are bent inwardly at their upper ends as indicated at 23 andthence bent back upon themselves and then carried upwardly and inwardlyto form the prong 223, this construction at the upper end of the jackwire being common to all or its forms.

What I claim is 1 An upright piano action having a jack and a hammerbutt, a jack wire carried by the jack and bent inwardly at its upper endsaid inwardl bent portion havin a ronm, n b.

a butt strap secured to the hammer butt and Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing engaged by said prong andnormally slack and a slotted bridle strap secured to the hammer butt thejack wire passing through said slot.

2 An upright piano action having a jack and a hammer butt, a jack wirebent upon itself in its lower portion and bent inwardly at its upperend, a butt strap secured to the hammer butt and to the upper end of thejack wire, and a bridle strap secured to the hammer butt and to thelower bent portion of the jack wire, said bridle strap being slotted toallow for movement of said strap independent of the movement of thejack.

3. An upright piano action having a hammer butt and a jack normally inengagement with the hammer butt, a jack wire carried by the jack andbent inwardly at its upper end said inwardly bent portion carrying anupwardly and inwardly extending prong, a longitudinally slotted bridlestrap secured to the hammer butt, the jack wire passing through saidslot a butt strap secured upon the hammer butt and superposed upon thebridle strap, said butt strap being normally slack and in engagementwith the prong of the jack wire.

WILLIAM G. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

ELLEN S. VoenL, JAMns A. l-IUToHnNs.

the Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, I). C.

